Fabric washing machine with continuous feed system

Abstract

A fabric washing machine with a continuous feeding system, particularly useful for washing delicate fabrics such as gabardine, jersey and the like, comprises a stationary tank containing a solvent or liquid detergent and provided with an upper and lower row of fixed blades. In the interspace defined between the outer ends of these blades a stationary washing drum with apertured walls is housed, and two plurality of blades are mounted respectively above and below the drum in correspondence with the two rows of fixed blades, being adapted to oscillate so that each blade can move between two adjacent stationary blades.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. A fabric washing machine comprising a stationary tank for containing a solvent or other liquid detergent and in part defined by spaced stationary upper and lower walls respectively, a stationary washing drum carried by said machine and disposed in the interspace between and space from the upper and lower walls of said tank, said drum including two spaced perforated upper and lower walls, respectively, a first fixed set of blades carried by said machine and disposed between the spaced upper walls of said tank and said drum respectively, a second fixed set of blades carried by said machine and disposed between the spaced lower walls of said tank and said drum respectively, first and second groups of a plurality of blades each, said first group of blades being located between the upper wall of said tank and the upper wall of said washing drum and substantially interleaved with said first set of blades, said second group of blades being located between the lower wall of said tank and the lower wall of said washing drum and substantially interleaved with said second set of blades, and means for supporting and oscillating said blade groups whereby the blades of each blade group move along paths between the blades of the corresponding sets of blades. 
     
     
       2. A washing machine according to claim 1 further including an element located adjacent corresponding end edges of the upper and lower walls and at one end of said washing drum, said element being carried by said machine for oscillating movement, means for oscillating said element whereby said element is adapted to push the fabric fed into said one end of said washing drum for discharge of the fabric at the opposite end thereof from between the corresponding opposite end edges of said washing drum. 
     
     
       3. A washing machine according to claim 2 wherein each of said tank and said drum has opposite end walls, said support means including at least one support wall disposed between one of the end walls of said tank and the corresponding end wall of said washing drum and carrying said blade groups for oscillating movement, and means coupling said element and said one support wall for joint oscillating movement of said element and said blades, said oscillating means including an electric motor. 
     
     
       4. A washing machine according to claim 1 wherein each of said tank and said drum has opposite end walls, said each of said tank and said drum has opposite end walls, said support means including at least one support wall disposed between one of the end walls of said tank and the corresponding end wall of said washing drum and carrying said blade groups for oscillating movement. 
     
     
       5. A washing machine according to claim 4 wherein said support means includes a second support wall generally parallel to said one end wall and disposed between the other end wall of said tank and the other corresponding end wall of said drum, said blade groups being carried by and disposed between the support walls. 
     
     
       6. A washing machine according to claim 1 wherein said first and second sets of blades are respectively fixed to the upper and lower walls of said tank and project toward one another. 
     
     
       7. A washing machine according to claim 6 wherein the upper and lower walls of each of said tank and said drum are arcuate and lie along portions of substantially concentric circles. 
     
     
       8. A washing machine according to claim 1 wherein said first and second sets of blades are respectively fixed to the upper and lower walls of said tank and project toward one another, the upper and lower walls of each of said tank and said drum being arcuate and lying along portions of substantially concentric circles, an element located adjacent corresponding end edges of the upper and the lower walls and at one end of said washing drum, said element being carried by said machine for oscillating movement, means for oscillating said element whereby said element is adapted to push the fabric fed into said one end of said washing drum for discharge of the fabric at the opposite end thereof from between the corresponding opposite end edges of said washing drum. 
     
     
       9. A washing machine according to claim 8 wherein each of said tank and said drum has opposite end walls, said support means including at least one support wall disposed between one of the end walls of said tank and the corresponding end wall of said washing drum and carrying said blade groups for oscillating movement, and means coupling said element and said one support wall for joint oscillating movement of said element and said blades, said oscillating means including an electric motor.